It was a delightful day in northern New York, with warm sunshine, light wind and low humidity. So instead of the weather, it was the course that was making things miserable.

Oh, brother! It's bad when Jim Furyk, among leaders the first two days, plops down bogeys on two of his first three holes. Oak Hill became a stick in the eye for other leaders, with double bogeys on No. 3 for Matt Kuchar and Justin Rose.

No one learned a harder lesson than Webb Simpson, who had a triple bogey on No. 5. Simpson, remember, had a 64 on Friday.

Blame the rough. Players who failed to stay in the fairway were left to hack their way out of the heavy stuff.

Even Dufner was not immune. He uncorked a rotter of a tee shot on No. 5 that resulted in a drop.

Players had to know how the course would play even in the changing conditions.

"A guy playing really well here, hitting a lot of fairways, you can find yourself hitting a lot of middle and short irons into holes," Kuchar said after his strong Friday round. "If you are hot and taking advantage of those holes, you have got a chance to really post a good number."

Among early starters, Dustin Johnson was a standout. He was strong on the back nine to finish with a 65. Kevin Streelman, Marc Leishman and Ken Duke also put up below-par scores.

Johnson picked up a stroke on the front nine before birdies on Nos. 10, 13, 14 and 15.

Changes included the weather, with a breeze stiffening, and pin placements that were of added difficulty.

Golf's biggest names weren't among Saturday's surging stars.

None was a bigger dud than Phil Mickelson. After consecutive rounds of 1-over 71, he ballooned to a 78 in the third round. The ugly part was a 39 on the front nine holes. That was 4-over par, thanks to a triple-bogey at the par-4 seventh.

Mickelson also three-putted No. 4 for a bogey. And, he hit a spectator with an errant tee shot. Three weeks after winning the British Open, Mickelson's game remained in embargo.

Mickelson's day equaled his worst in a PGA Championship. Eleven years ago, he shot 78 at Hazeltine. That, too, came in the third round.

Tiger Woods appeared masterful in contrast to Mickelson. He was stuck on the downslide and finished Saturday with a 3-over 73. He missed a par putt on No. 3 and his swing remained erratic. There was no better example than No. 1, when he chunked his tee shot left en route to a bogey.

Woods also missed birdie putts on No. 2 and No. 7.

"Obviously, I need to hit it better than I have," Woods said Friday. "Obviously, keep the ball below the hole so I can be aggressive with the putts."

Obviously, it isn't working.

This won't be the soft, inviting course players saw in the first two rounds.

Dufner entered Saturday at 9-under par, having ridden a hot second round to a two-stroke lead in the year's final major. He shot a 63 on Friday, tying a record for one-round scores in major championships. Simpson had been the talk of the day with a 64 until Dufner mastered Oak Hill.

If he hadn't left three putts shot — he just missed at 15, 17 and 18 — Dufner would have thrown a stunning round on the leaderboard. His success came on his approach shots; he hit 15-of-18 holes and hole out on No. 2 for an eagle.

Oh, what might have been if he had sunk those three late putts.

"As we walked down to the fairway, we had a chance to watch his putt, all kind of hoping," Kuchar said. "And I know for me, it would have put him an extra shot ahead, but it would have been pretty cool to see a 62 posted as the lowest round ever in a major championship.

"It was kind of too bad that he missed it."

Scott is one of three golfers tied for second to open Saturday. He, Furyk and Kuchar are 7-under. Rose and Henrik Stenson are at 6-under.